LINE UP PLAN A, PLAN B ... AND A SOIL TEST

“It’s a good time to reflect on the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons,” said Craig Loen, Federated agronomist at the Osceola location. Assess the challenges you might encounter in:

• - weed resistance,
• - weed control, and
• - crop rotation.

For example, Loen conjectured, “if a field is being rotated from corn to soybeans, what was the disease pressure the last time there were beans on that field?” Looking back on the past (oftentimes more than one year back) will help you know what issues to address.

Make a Plan A, Loen recommended, and then make a Plan B because things don’t always go as anticipated. It’s possible that seed, fertilizer, and herbicide choices from the past may not be your best options for 2021. Some fields may require more attention this year than in past seasons.

And, as always, be sure to have a current soil test. Neither you nor your Federated Agronomist can make good decisions or recommendations without knowing what’s going on in the soil of each field.

Good seed, good nutrients, and good weed control will contribute to a positive ROI when bushels add up. As Loen said, “Yield is king.”

Now is the time to work out the details for the 2021 growing season, Loen mused, because “we could be in the fields in 90 days.” Talk to your Federated Agronomist soon because communication is vital (see related article).